Dust mops (otherwise known as "cobweb dusters") are well known in the art and may include any number of materials in their construction. For example, before the development of plastics, dust mop components generally included a wooden or metal elongate handle with a head portion constructed of some type of fabric, such as cotton. Generally, the head portion of the mop removes unwanted debris from various areas which are not readily accessible by other means. Examples of inaccessible areas may include overhead fan blades, air vents, or ceiling corners.
In many instances, polymer fibers now replace fabric materials for use in dust mob heads. However, those prior art dust mops utilize polyethylene or polystyrene bristles fastened to a bristle head for use in entangling dust particles. Several disadvantages are associated with the use of such polymers as bristles in a dust mop head. Typically, the polyethylene or polystyrene fibers used in prior art dusters do not have an acceptable shape memory to allow for prolonged mop head deformation during packaging and shipping. For example, if a prior art dust mop is placed on its side between uses, the polystyrene or polyethylene fibers in the dust mop head become permanently deformed, which decreases the effectiveness and aesthetic appearance of the mop. Additionally, if a prior art dust mop head is compressed in any way during shipping, then permanent deformation occurs. Permanent deformation of a mop head is undesirable since it decreases the particle entanglement effectiveness of the fibers. Thus, during distribution storage and shipping processes, such prior art dust mops must be packed with the mop head in a completely expanded configuration, greatly increasing the volume consumed by a single mop and reducing the shipping volume efficiency associated with the prior art dust mop. Furthermore, prior art dust mops using the above-referenced compliant polyethylene or polystyrene bristle material have to be adequately protected during shipping by various types of materials such as "bubble paper" to minimize deformation during shipping and storage such package material and space requirements increases the production cost.
With the forgoing disadvantages in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning implement or dust mop which requires as little shipping volume and retail display area as possible. It is another object of the present invention to provide a dust mop which is displayed in a manner that is aesthetically pleasing to a consumer in a retail environment. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a dust mop which includes a means of compressing the mop head during shipping and retail storage to reduce the effective mop head volume. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide fibers that are durable and flexible, but have an excellent shape memory so that after a mop head compressing means is removed from the mop head, the mop head will return to its original expanded state with little or no permanent deformation.